http://magnificentoregregious.blogspot.com/2011/09/girls-just-want-to-have-fun.html

Though I am participating in an exciting learning experience called #etmooc until the end of March (check out my #etmooc blog), I still want to continue exploring the topic of the purpose of education. Having written the previous sentence, I feel I sounded like the boring economics teacher from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off…the purpose of education, anyone? anyone?

In the previous post, I posed a few questions that I think are important to consider before making educational policy decisions, whether at the local, district, state, or federal level. What exactly is the purpose of education? This question matters. What ever one deems as the purpose of education impacts their view of what the solution should be for any given topic. For example, higher education professors, superintendents, school board members, administrators, principals, educators: higher education, high, middle, elementary, and pre-school, parents, business people: publishers, technology companies, and future employers, and politicians all have an innate and personal view of the purpose of education that is not only impacted by past experience but also perhaps by the stake they have in that purpose at a particular time in their lives.

Perhaps it is easier to understand the purpose of education by first contemplating knowledge.  According to Michael Schiro, knowledge gives the ability to either:

• understand
• to do
• to actualize oneself
• to interpret and reconstruct society

I believe this is why engaging in conversations available via social media are important.  I get to learn from others who have views different than my own.  They challenge me to reflect on my perspective and beliefs.  Take the list above, and apply it to the current hot topic on #edchat, homework.  Proponents of homework might say that it is important in order for students to understand and learn how to do. Opponents of homework might say that it does nothing that can’t be accomplished during school hours and little to help a student make personal meaning or to actualize oneself or to interpret and reconstruct society or take a moral stance.

If you have been paying attention to #edchat lately, you have certainly heard echos of the above beliefs regarding homework mentioned in numerous tweets.  Obviously, when discussing educational topics, one-size-fits-all does not apply, however, it is important to view each issue with the understanding that others might have a ‘culture’ different from your own, and it might be helpful to reflect on what your personal beliefs are and how your beliefs were formed.  I’d love to hear what you think!  What is the purpose of education…anyone?  anyone?